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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> ? on Verapamil
        
(Message started by: Richr8 on Mar 10^th, 2006, 11:44am)

Title: ? on Verapamil
Post by Richr8 on Mar 10^th, 2006, 11:44am

My most recent cycle ended about 4 weeks ago. I did a pred taper and was up to 480mg of Verapamil at the end of my cycle. I have been reducing the Verap about 120mg a week and everything is just fine until I drop below 120mg. When I drop to 60 mg after about three days I begin to get shadowing and then last night I was awoken (is that a word?) three different times with Kip 4-5 shadowing that I was able to relieve with O2 rather quickly. The good news is I finally got to try my clustermask which arrived after my cycle ended. It's awesome! After the third HA I took a Relpax (elitriptran) and have been fine since. Needless to say, I pumped the Verap back up to 120mg this morning and plan on holding there another week or so before attempting another taper.
Does anyone else have trouble getting completely off of Verapamil between annual cycles or have suggestions for another approach?

I really would like to get completely off of meds at some point?

Rich

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by dejay on Mar 10^th, 2006, 12:36pm

Hey, I'm really new here but I'm glad you asked that question and be looking foward to responses. I take 240 vera, 120, twice a day. I thought I was done with cycle twice now, but each time I tried to cut out 1 dose, got hit again. so I'm confused. In past, cycle just ended and I knew it, now I don't know what to think.

dejay

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by LeLimey on Mar 10^th, 2006, 12:40pm

You can get 80mg tablets too.. would it be worth maybe using them to taper with and taking that bit slower that way?

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by Richr8 on Mar 10^th, 2006, 12:47pm

on 03/10/06 at 12:36:52, dejay wrote:

but each time I tried to cut out 1 dose, got hit again.

Try breaking one in half and step down by 60mg instead of 120. Like I said that works fine for me until I get below 120. Just a note, I do notice mild shadowing each time I step down and it typically goes away after a day or two. Just seem to be having a problem from 120 to 60.

pf wishes,

Rich

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by E-Double on Mar 10^th, 2006, 2:29pm

That's pretty quick!

I was on 560 and Dr. Sheftell (NECH)
had me taper 40 mg. per week. It took me weeks to be med free.
Each time I tapered I would have an increase in attacks.

Now I am med free and I feel great!!!

Still have attacks but feeling good.

It appears you are still in cycle or beginning a new one.

Good luck my friend!

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by Richr8 on Mar 10^th, 2006, 2:54pm

on 03/10/06 at 14:29:39, E-Double wrote:

Each time I tapered I would have an increase in attacks.

Sound just like what I'm going through. I guess I'll continue to step back, just more slowly. I'll talk to the doc about some other size tablets I can play with. Perhaps 40 mg as you suggested.

I hope things are going well for you.

Rich

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by Kevin_M on Mar 10^th, 2006, 5:49pm

on 03/10/06 at 11:44:52, Richr8 wrote:

everything is just fine until I drop below 120mg.

Don't be in a hurry to rock the boat if you're continuing to get prevention at 120mg, it can be a dream situation when it's still working for you at that level after being at 480.
Trying to get completely off too quickly is like just wearing long sleeve shirts outside but wanting to put them away for the season too early and wear t-shirts, it's not a big deal when you remember the sweaters and overcoat you wore a month ago, be patient.

* oh, you're from Tucson, AZ. nevermind. ;;D

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by chewy on Mar 10^th, 2006, 7:09pm

If your getting hit at the lower doses of the verap then I would say you are not out of cycle.

I dont stop the verap (480 mg) until I've had two solid weeks of no hits and good sleep.

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by mynm156 on Mar 10^th, 2006, 8:58pm

I cant taper on it. I am up to 240 mg twice a day and if I come down man my clusters go CRAZY like my head is spasms.

MYNM156

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by Jasmyn on Mar 11^th, 2006, 3:10am

Like the Chewy guy said wait at least 2 weeks with no hits before starting to taper.

Verapamil sometimes, at the correct dosage can lull the CH in to thinking it is gone but actually you are not out of cycle yet.

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by Kate in Oz on Mar 11^th, 2006, 4:55am

Hi, this is an interesting thread and just wondering if anyone has had this....

I started getting twinges mid Feb so started on the verap 80mgx3 a day .... since then been shadowing pretty much 24/7. (Last cycle on same dose) Came very close to a full on hit yesterday about kip 6 - slight head banger and woke this morning (4am) with a banger on the other side??

Last cycle I noticed I shadowed more than any other time I can recall... especially after the hits stopped.

My question is... does Verapimil increase the shadows or is it just that I'm shadowing rather than getting the big ones??

Appreciate any responses and hope this won't be seen as a hijak figure its related ;;D

Good luck tapering off the meds Rich. My last cycle when I was stopping the verap I ended up bitting the bullet and stopping despite the increasing pain. Had to put up with a few days of really bad shadows and then that was it - all gone. ???? Everyone here says you have to taper and I figure they do know best so ..... just my experience. I'm not a fan of meds.

Kate

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by chewy on Mar 11^th, 2006, 9:08am

Kate

Sounds like an opportune time for a pred. taper. Might knock it out entirely.

Title: Thank you all...
Post by Richr8 on Mar 11^th, 2006, 1:56pm

...for your responses. Did I mention I love this place. It looks like patiecne is the key. I popped back up to 120mg and the last twenty four hours I've been fine. I'll wait a couple of weeks and then to talk to the Neuro about a scrip for smaler tablets, say 80mg. I'll also donsider toughing out a couple of days of discomfort toward the end to get past this stuff.
Feeling great right now.

thanks again,

Rich

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by dejay on Mar 13^th, 2006, 4:07pm

Hey Rich, hope your thread helped, it helped me. I like what Kevin said, don't rock the boat. I guess I'm still not out of cycle. It's confusing and wasn't like this last time. But I'm taking 120 vera, twice a day, and have really been almost pain free for 3 weeks, have slept every night, and just get "hits" I guess between 4:30-6:30 in afternoon.

This can be so confusing and is really doing a job on my mind, not just my head.

Title: Yeah, it looks like I may be...
Post by Richr8 on Mar 13^th, 2006, 5:54pm

...stuck on the Verap for a while. I never did get below 120mg between my "rogue" bout last summer and my normal annual cycle this fall, though it sounds like a 60mg reduction may be too much too fast. I'm going to talk to my neuro about getting some 80mg tabs that I can break in half and see how reducing by 40mg goes after a couple of more pf weeks at 120mg.

pf wishes,

Rich

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by jon019 on Mar 13^th, 2006, 9:49pm

Hello all,

Started on 480 mg day to stop cycle which along with solu-medrol did! Since then reduced to 240 per day with good results. Following great advice here tried reducing more so I could use when cycle restarted. If I get below 160 per day the shadows are constant and ramp up to a kip 1-3. Scary!. I then have to bump back to 240. Sigh, I wanna cut back to have it still in the arsenal.

Regards

Jon

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by dejay on Mar 16^th, 2006, 4:38pm

I just noticed after weeks of looking at it that the verapamil I have is 120 extended release. Do I have the wrong type? It says you can't split these. Also, how long does 1 last? I've been using twice a day, at 3 afternoon and 11 at night. I thought I was done with cycle again, no hits or shadows for 3 days, than got one yesterday afternoon. Anyway, I'm stuck with these pills, went through hell with insurance for 2 weeks, they insist on mail order and finally mailed today. Made me get 3 months worth. Hope I don't need that many.

dejay

Title: Re: ? on Verapamil
Post by Kris_in_SJ on Mar 16^th, 2006, 8:36pm

It took me a full 5 months to completely wean off Verapamil after my last cycle. Luckily I'm one of those 3-5 year people. I was stuck at 120mg/day for about 6 weeks before I was able to stop without shadowing.

Even after totally stopping, I had "twinges" for a few weeks more. As they say .... "Slow, but steady wins the race."

Hugs,

Kris